Ecuadorian Littoral Musaceae Producers’ Typification Based on Their Production Systems, Agronomic Management, Biosecurity Measures, and Risk Level Against Foc TR4

Edwin Borja, Miguel Guara-Requena, Miguel Hoyos, Pedro Terrero, Paola Rodulfo, Liseth Carvajal, Willian Camacho, Rafaela Mayorga, Carlos Molina and Marlon Caicedo ()
Additional contact information
Edwin Borja: Estación Experimental Tropical Pichilingue, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Mocache 120313, Los Ríos, Ecuador
Miguel Guara-Requena: Department of Botany and Geology, University of València, Burjassot, 46100 València, Spain
Miguel Hoyos: Estación Experimental Tropical Pichilingue, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Mocache 120313, Los Ríos, Ecuador
Pedro Terrero: Estación Experimental Tropical Pichilingue, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Mocache 120313, Los Ríos, Ecuador
Paola Rodulfo: Estación Experimental Tropical Pichilingue, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Mocache 120313, Los Ríos, Ecuador
Liseth Carvajal: Estación Experimental Tropical Pichilingue, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Mocache 120313, Los Ríos, Ecuador
Willian Camacho: Estación Experimental Tropical Pichilingue, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Mocache 120313, Los Ríos, Ecuador
Rafaela Mayorga: Estación Experimental Tropical Pichilingue, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Mocache 120313, Los Ríos, Ecuador
Carlos Molina: Estación Experimental Tropical Pichilingue, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Mocache 120313, Los Ríos, Ecuador
Marlon Caicedo: Estación Experimental Tropical Pichilingue, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Mocache 120313, Los Ríos, Ecuador

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 21, 1-35

Abstract: Musaceae represent one of the main crops of economic and food importance worldwide. In Ecuador, the production and export of bananas, plantains, and abaca are fundamental pillars of the national economy. However, the presence of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 (Foc TR4) in neighbouring countries increases the risk to production systems. In this study, information was collected through simple random probability sampling, using a semi-structured survey that included sociodemographic information, crop characteristics, phytosanitary problems, agronomic management practices, and biosecurity measures. To differentiate the profile of producers, a Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) was performed, followed by a hierarchical cluster analysis to establish their types. Additionally, a vulnerability index— Iv (low, medium, high, and critical—is proposed, considering variables such as geographic location, cultivar diversity, and producer management. Among the producers surveyed, 83.3% were men and 16.7% were women; 64% identified as Mestizo, 31% as Montubio, and 1.7% as Afro-Ecuadorian. At the time of the interview, only 38.5% used some biosecurity measures on their farms. Multivariate analyses identified six groups of producers with distinct characteristics, including ethnicity, location, crop type, phytosanitary issues, and adoption of biosecurity measures. Iv ranged from −0.60 to 3.20, with an average of 0.59. Producer groups 1 to 3 presented low to medium vulnerability, while groups 4 to 6 exhibited critical levels. These results demonstrate the diversity of production systems and profiles of Musaceae producers in Ecuador, as well as the need to strengthen biosecurity measures and phytosanitary management to reduce vulnerability to threats such as Foc TR4.

Keywords: clusters; cultivars; interview; Fusarium; multiple correspondence analysis; sampling; variables; vulnerability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/21/2208/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/21/2208/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:21:p:2208-:d:1778493

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().